


Hearts of Kyber

by Ecrooked24



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Angst, Death, Force Bond (Star Wars), Gen, Jedi!Alex, Jedi!Kara, Rebel Pilot!Maggie, Rebel/Senator!J'onn, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-18 22:36:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9405869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ecrooked24/pseuds/Ecrooked24
Summary: Padawan learner Alex Danvers and youngling Kara Zor-El must learn to survive in a world where Jedi are hunted and force sensitivity is illegal. With the growing Rebel Alliance on one hand and the Sith and Inquistitors on the other, the two young girls must struggle to find a place where they belong.





	1. Order 66

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to ultranos and comickergirl on tumblr for the inspiration! Check out comickergirl’s Star Wars and Supergirl art it is really awesome! Sorry if there are any grammatical or spelling errors.

As the ship entered Coruscant’s atmosphere, Alex jumped onto a nearby seat so she could look out a port hole and see the city grow closer and closer. She had been away training and fighting in the clone wars with her master Indel Surej, and this was her first time back since she had become a Padawan. They had been called to return to the Jedi temple by the Jedi High Council to report about the progress of the war in their sector. This meant that Alex would be invited to stand before the council as well and she couldn’t be more excited or nervous. But that wasn’t the real reason why Alex was so happy to be returning. She stood on the seat and pressed her face against the thick glass- enjoying how it warmed her cheek- as she tried to spot the temple even though they were still much too far away. She knew inside was the person she desperately wanted to see again.

“Alex get down from there. Contain your emotions,” her master berated her quietly.

Embarrassed at her childlike behavior, Alex quickly wrapped her dark brown cloak around herself and sat next to her master. Subconsciously, she matched her master’s posture and expression as she meditated. The seats around them were crowded with busy people and chaotic noises, unlike the two peacefully silent figures.

When Alex had first become a Padawan-at the age of eleven- she wouldn’t have been able to meditate with all the stimulation and excitement of what awaited them once they landed, but her master had taught her well over the last year. The world around her faded away and she felt the Force flow through her, the powerful energy soothing her mind. She cherished the feeling of strength she got from connecting with the force and knew that if she were to reach out she could maybe be able to feel K—a dark cloud flooded her mind and her heart began to beat faster against her will. Flashes of a blue lightsaber cutting through the darkness filled her eyes. Just as the blade was about to reach her, her master gently shook her shoulder. Alex jerked as she was suddenly pulled from her meditation. With panting breaths, she tried to slow her pounding heart.

Her master must have noticed her strange reaction. “Are you alright?”

Alex took a deeper, smoother breath before answering, “Yes, I’m just a little nervous about meeting with the council that’s all.”

Master Surej nodded in understanding. “There is nothing to worry about. You will not even need to speak if you do not want to.” She stood up and then turned to Alex and said, “We landed a few minutes ago but you were doing so well at meditating that I did not want to disturb you. We can’t make the Jedi council wait however.”

She walked down the aisle of the now much emptier passenger ship, leaving Alex alone for a moment.

 _What was that?_ she thought to herself while she grabbed their bags out from beneath their chairs. She knew she should tell her master, but she didn’t want to worry her. Despite her calm exterior, Alex had spent enough time with Indel Surej to know that she was just as nervous if not more about meeting with the council. She had only been a Jedi Knight for a couple of years now and she wanted to impress the council members.

Alex followed her master out of the ship. Even with the bustling energy of the city and the afternoon light of Coruscant’s star Alex still couldn’t shake the dark feeling the vision had left her with. _I’ll tell Master Surej after our meeting with the council,_ she finally decided.

Following her master off of their ship’s landing platform, they boarded a transport on its way to the temple. They flew quickly through the city. Alex tried to distract herself by naming all the different types of flying vehicles they passed, but it didn’t work very well. However, all thoughts of her strange vision fled her mind as the Jedi temple entered her view. The high spires and sheer stone walls shone like a beacon of strength and hope amongst the dark city buildings. She had forgotten just how beautiful it was.

The transport landed at the base of the temple, where they were greeted by Master Plo Koon.

“Welcome Indel Surej and Padawan learner Alex. A droid will take your things to your quarters while we attend the meeting,” Plo Koon said warmly as they entered the grand entrance of the temple.

Alex passed off their bags to a carrier droid as instructed, glad to be no longer carrying the load. Now she could admire the temple that she had grew up in without hindrance. The vaulted ceilings and sweeping archways were illuminated with light from the afternoon sun. Over the past year Alex had lived in a wide range of places from military clone barracks to sprawling palaces. She, however, still thought the Jedi temple was the most impressive. She doubted anywhere else could replace her love for her vast home. Reminiscent thoughts of walking through the halls and playing in the courtyards returned to her as they moved further into the temple.

They soon reached the council room, but Master Plo Koon asked that they wait outside until the council was ready for them. Alex shifted her weight from foot to foot as they stood in the hallway. Thoughts of what she would say if she was asked any questions. _All planets in own sector have been cleared of Separatist enemies. My training is progressing normally. I need to practice more on lightsaber form VI--._

“Calm down. Control,” her master prompted.

Alex again tried to copy her master’s peaceful demeanor. _Someday I’ll be like her. When I’m a knight._

Fortunately for Alex’s nerves, they didn’t have to wait much longer for the council to summon them. They entered the circular room and stopped in the center, now surrounded by the seated masters.

“We are glad to have you back at the temple. What do you have to report?” Master Windu asked.

While her master answered the question and any others the council asked, Alex gazed around the room at the different Masters. Each one looked at her with no outward warmth, but she could feel their unspoken support of kinship. Her eyes landed on Master Yoda, who had been her mentor and trainer throughout her time as a youngling, and he nodded encouraging towards her.  

“Do you have anything to add Padawan Alex?”

Snapping out of her daze, Alex gave one of her rehearsed answers to the council. When she was finished she glanced toward her master and saw her lip turn up slightly. Warmth filled her whole body and she couldn’t keep a smile from planting itself on her face despite her attempts to remain unemotional.

“Well I believe that is all we need. We will discuss any further assignment with you later. You are free to go,” Master Windu said.

Indel ushed Alex out of the council room. “You did well,” she said and Alex felt the warmth rekindle within her. “Even though you weren’t paying attention during most the meeting,” she added.

Alex looked down at her boots, avoiding her master’s eyes.

“It’s alright Alex just try harder next time,” her master said.

They made their way towards the living quarters all the while Alex tried to think of a way to get some alone time. She had someone she wanted to find, but she knew her master wouldn’t approve of the attachment. At a junction, Indel suddenly stopped, causing her Padawan to stumble.

“I have some records to update in the archives. Why don’t you go to our rooms and start your meditation? I will join you later tonight when I’ve finished.”

Alex simply nodded and watched her master walk down the hall. With a smirk on her face, Alex turned down a different hall, not towards her master’s prescribed destination but instead somewhere special. _I didn’t even need to lie to get away,_ she thought smugly to herself. She walked casually, but then took an abrupt turn down a service corridor. Along the left wall was an air duct. Quietly Alex removed the cover, climbed into the duct, and replaced it. She had grown some during her time of away from the temple, but she was happy to discover that she still could move without too much difficulty in the small tunnel. She made her way through a labyrinth of twists and turns, but she had memorized the layout years ago and new exactly where she was. When she reached another duct entrance she pushed out the cover and entered a small room.

It was rectangular in shape and had a low ceiling. Alex had always assumed that it used to be a room for the acolytes or workers but had been sealed off for some reason or another. It had never really matter to her what the room was, it only mattered that she was able to use it. Taped to the walls were pictures and paintings. Alex circled the room, letting her fingers brush across the paper. The art ranged from childish to beautifully advanced-though none of the good ones were done by Alex herself. She let her fingers rest on a piece that had not been there when she had left a year ago. Alex recognized the Jedi Temple on Ilum depicted in the painting. She admired the brush strokes that so perfectly captured the sacred feeling of the ice caves where the youngling Gathering ceremonies were held. It brought back memories of her own experience with the ceremony, the feelings of exuberance at finding her own kyber crystal and building her lightsaber. Pulling herself out of her memories, Alex recognized that this painting was the only new one amongst all the old. She wanted to know just why that was.

Alex moved to the center of the room and sat down on the ground. Closing her eyes and beginning to meditate, she reached out through the force searching for the person she can been trying to connect with all day. Without any interruptions she was able to finally find the pathway. Like water flowing through a tunnel, her consciousness moved closer and closer until she reached a blinding light at the end of the connection. Gently, she pulled at the intangible light. It resisted her first pulls but then she felt it stream towards her, filler her with warmth.

Opening her eyes she knew that all that was left to do was wait.

* * *

 Kara Zor-El had been in the middle of a lightsaber exercise when she felt it. A slight tug that grew in strength until it felt like someone was physically pulling her. She faltered and the training ball hit her with a small blaster bolt. It only stung, but she still powered down her lightsaber and moved to side of the class room to check the slight wound. The tugging sensation came again, but this time Kara recognized it. She couldn’t keep a smile from conquering her face as she thought, _Alex is back._ Kara reached out through the force to touch Alex, cherishing the feeling of their connection. She had missed Alex more than she thought possible.

Kara realized that the other younglings were looking at her funny. Her actions definitely weren’t normal, so she didn’t blame them. She carefully moved through the practicing students towards their supervising acolyte.

“I’m not feeling well; may I go to my room?” she asked, looking anywhere but the acolyte’s eyes.

“Of course. Are you sure you don’t want to go to the infirmary?” he questioned, but Kara just shook her head and darted out of the room once he nodded his dismissal.

 _It’s not exactly a lie,_ she told herself, _I do feel exhausted_. Ignoring her exhaustion, however, she made her way through the temple’s halls. She was thankful that this evening not many people were walking about who would ask what a youngling was doing sneaking into a service hallway. Kara was awful at trying to lie to avoid trouble. That was half of the reason she had spent little time in their hiding spot since Alex had left. The other half was because being their made her remember how much she missed Alex. Jedi were taught from their earliest years that they should not become attached to things, but Kara always found that difficult especially when it came to Alex. They had been best friends for years and were bonded in more ways than one. Most children that came to the Jedi temple were bought when they were still nearly infants, but Kara didn’t join the Order until she was six years old. Her family had been killed by a Separatist attack and she was going to be sent to distant relatives, but the Jedi discovered she was force-sensitive and took her instead. This put her several years behind all the other younglings and they were sure to never let her forget it. Their constant taunting and teasing made her training all the more difficult. Until Alex started to stand up for her. In exchange, Kara helped Alex learn how to better use and feel the force- Kara had been a natural when it came to that. Over the years the two had become closest of friends- sisters even- but they kept their relationship hidden from the Order. They feared how they would react to the close attachment.  

Kara quickly got into the ducts and made her way towards Alex. As she crawled, she couldn’t help herself from moving faster and faster. She was practically vibrating with excitement.

Alex must have heard her because she quietly called out, “Kara?”

Kara saw the Padawan peering into the duct. She leapt out into Alex’s arms, almost knocking her down to the ground. They both hugged each other tightly, trying to make up for all the time spent apart.

Kara was the first one to break the silence. “So what is it like out their training as a Padawan? Do you like your master? Did you meet any cool people? Have you had to fight any of the Separatists? Are the droids scary? What are the clones like—“

“Woah, woah, Kara slow down one question at a time,” Alex said trying to hold the younger girl still. “Let’s sit and then we can take turns asking questions.”

Kara nodded excitedly and Alex pulled her down to sit in the middle of the room.

“Okay so training with Master Surej has been amazing. There is just so much to learn Kara. I can’t wait for you to start your Padawan training. You are going to love it,” Alex gushed like she only did around Kara. She paused and then said, “Tell me your Gathering ceremony.”

Kara passionately explained her experience in the ice caves. Gesturing wildly, she told her how she had been afraid that she was going to fail and be stuck in the caves and never find her kyber crystal. It was only by thinking about how Alex would tell her to keep trying no matter how hard it was, was she able to do it. She pulled out her lightsaber to show Alex and smiled enormously as she watched the Padawan admire the casing of the weapon. Then Kara asked another question and they went on and on like that. Once it felt like there couldn’t possibly be any other questions to ask they eased into a relaxing silence.

Kara’s eyes wandered away from Alex’s to the pictures on the wall. She hadn’t seen them for such a long time; she hadn’t painted in such a long time. It had just made her feel too lonely. She didn’t have any other friends besides Alex, not because forming attachments was looked down upon, but because she had a hard time talking to other people. She had always let Alex do the talking.

She released a large yawn, remember again how tired she was.

“Hey are you all right?” Alex asked.

“I’m just a little tired. I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. Just some bad dreams. You don’t need to worry. I’ve gotten good at handling them. Master Yoda said they might be premonition and I shouldn’t dwell on them.”

“Kara, hold up,” Alex interrupted her rambling, “How long have you been having nightmares?”

The blonde wouldn’t look at her, “A couple of months. You don’t need to worry-“

The arms trying to comfort her.

Kara took a few shallow breaths before deciding to answer, “It’s—it’s a lot of just feeling and glimpses. There’s nothing r-real about it. It starts dark and I always feel scared… and then I see a lightsaber and I hear screams and that when I usually wake up… I hate it. I wish it would stop.”

Alex recognized immediately the similarities between her vision and Kara’s dream. She didn’t know what to make of it, but she didn’t want Kara to see how worried she was. She wrapped her arms around her, while she tried to think of some solution. She said finally, “I think I may have seen it too. Not as clearly, but somehow today I saw that.”

Pulling away, Kara stared all wide eyed and pale. “Maybe somehow through our bond…” Kara started to say but they tried to not talk about the connection they shared with the force. It was bad enough that they had such an emotion connection, neither of them wanted to think about what the order would do if they discovered the girls shared a force bond.

“Maybe. I don’t know why you’re seeing that, but we’ll figure it out Kara. I’ll talk to my master about it discreetly. She will probably have answers, but until then we talk about it to help you feel better,” Alex said feigning confidence.

Another question jumped to the front of Kara’s mind. No matter how much she didn’t want to know the answer she had to ask. The whispered words entered the air like poison, “When do you have to leave?”

Desperately, she searched for the answer she wanted in Alex’s face- that she wasn’t ever going to leave- but the way her expression shifted from happy to sympathetic gave her just the opposite. Kara turned her face from Alex. She tried to conceal the liquid emotion in her eyes. She should have known better than to try and hide anything from Alex though. Scooting even closer to Kara, Alex wrapped her arms around her.

“Kara… you are going to complete the Initiate Trials soon. You are bound to be selected as a Padawan right away. You’ve always been so much better than me,” Alex said as she wiped at the spring of tears sliding down Kara’s cheeks. “You’ll be so excited you won’t miss me at all.”

Kara shook her head angrily, “I will always miss you.”

Alex didn’t have a solution to their problem so instead she pulled the younger girl into a tighter hug, hoping the physical contact would be more healing than words ever could. Alex missed Kara all the time too. Her master was inspiring and taught her so much, but Alex couldn’t talk about everything with her. She couldn’t hug her until she felt better. That’s not how that relationship worked.

With uneven breaths, Kara eased into the embrace and started sniffling. Alex allowed a few tears fall on Kara’s blonde hair too. There was no master here to tell her to control her emotions.

Their moment was interrupted by a deafening boom followed by shaking that knocked the girls over.

“What was that?” Kara asked with wide eyes looking to Alex for answers.

“Let’s go find out.”

The two girls dashed through the air duct tunnels-not towards the service tunnel but in the direction of the explosion. They had spent hours exploring the tunnels and knew just how to get just about anywhere on this side of the temple. Kara recognized that the explosion had come from somewhere near the youngling living and training area. She hoped that nobody had gotten hurt. _It was probably just an accident,_ she told herself.

A scream echoed down the metal tubes and made Alex and Kara freeze. Another pained yell followed, and then another.

“Alex… maybe we should go back,” Kara tried to say, but Alex wasn’t listening. She was already moving faster towards the sounds.

Kara rushed after her further through the ducts.  After quickly turning a corner she practically fell on top of Alex who had suddenly stopped. They were at an opening where the duct was only covered by a small metal plate with a slit in it. The screams were coming from the other side. Slowly, Alex lowered herself to look through the slit. Kara saw flashes of light reflected in Alex’s eyes. She saw her best friend begin to shake. Kara couldn’t stop herself from moving closer. She needed to know what was happening. Pushing her face next to Alex’s, the flashes filled her eyes too.

The two girls watched as Anakin Skywalker slaughtered the younglings they had spent their whole lives with.


	2. Escaping the Temple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and kudos, it really helped motivate me! If you still haven't checked out comickergirl's supergirl art on tumblr then get on it. It's been my inspiration for basically this whole story. Again sorry for any spelling or grammar errors

As the violent scene played out before them, Alex and Kara were paralyzed. Both wanted nothing more than to run away from what they were seeing, to wake up from this nightmare. _It’s just another vision. It’s not real._ But they were frozen. This wasn’t a nightmare they could wake up from.

Alex was the first to gain the ability to move only because she remembered that she wasn’t seeing this alone. _Kara shouldn’t be seeing this,_ she realized. She needed to get her away from there. But the moment Alex tried to pull her away from the opening in the duct, Kara began to crack. Her head snapped towards Alex- her eyes still darting from her friend’s face to the bodies- and she sucked in a deep breath. Alex realized what she was doing. Before Kara could start to scream, Alex smashed a hand against her mouth and started to pull her back towards their hiding spot. At first the younger girl thrashed and strained against her guiding, but Alex was strong and determined. As the initial shock began to wear away, Kara began moving on her own. Silent tears flowed from Kara unseen by Alex, but the older girl could feel the pain rolling off of her. All Alex could do was give her a reassuring nudge as she followed close behind. 

Finally arriving at their hidden room, the two girls collapsed on the floor. Kara’s tears finally found their voice and became terrible sobs. Alex tried to not cry, she really did. She wanted to be strong for Kara. But seeing her in such pain pushed Alex’s limits. Her fear and grief, streamed out of her. But Kara was there, and even though the blonde youngling couldn’t keep her own body from shaking she reached out and encircled Alex in her arms.

Alex couldn’t understand what she had just seen. She had been in the war- fought the Separatist’s armies of droids. But that’s all they had been: just droids. Of course, the clones had been there too. She had seen some die, but her master never let her linger on those deaths. Always reminding her that this was their purpose. Although Alex never felt good about it, she didn’t let their deaths affect her. But this was different. They had just been younglings; the same age as Kara or even younger. What reason could there possibly be in killing them? In horror she looked down at Kara in her arms and realized that her body should have been lying with the others, still and cold. It was only by luck or fate or the force that Alex had returned today, that they had been somewhere besides where they were supposed to be. The thought only made her hold Kara tighter and cry harder.

They wept in each other’s arms until another explosion shook the room and the girls back into reality. Kara sat up in a flash and ran back towards the duct.

“We need to go back. We have to help them.”

Alex caught her before she could get into the tunnel, “Kara no! They’re all...There is nothing we can do. And besides it’s too dangerous. We need to find help before anyone else gets hurt.”

Kara was too devastated to argue, she just nodded and waited for Alex to take the lead.

Her voice was still hoarse from crying, but Alex tried to sound in control as she came up with a plan. “O-okay let’s go towards… the council chambers. There has got to be someone along the way.”

Alex went into the ducts first, sensing more than feeling Kara following her. Once out of the air ducts and back into the service corridor, Alex pushed Kara into the shadows and told her to wait. She moved quietly until she reached the main hall. Slowly, she peered around the corner in search of anyone that could help or harm them. The halls were empty, but she spotted rubble and blast marks scarring the walls and floor. She called back for Kara to come out. As she waited she thought, _how will we know if we can trust someone when we find them? Anakin was a Jedi, a hero. Who else has he turned with him?_ She didn’t want Kara to see her fear, so she shook the thoughts from her mind.

“Stay quiet. If you see or hear anything tell me,” Alex instructed before they set out.

It seemed to Alex that the beauty and magic of the temple had been darkened. Not just because the sun no longer lit the halls but because of the black dread that hung in the air along with the smoke. The Jedi temple had always been a quiet place, but that night it was dead silent. Alex didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified that the halls were quiet and empty.

After walking for what felt like years they arrived at one of the larger chambers, the training gym.

“Where is everyone?” Kara whispered.

Alex only shook her head in response. The silence was putting her on edge even more. If they cut through the gym they could reach the council’s spire faster, but she didn’t feel good about being so exposed.

The sound of pounding feet heading their way kick started her survival instincts. She pulled Kara and herself up from their crouched position at the entrance, and they darted into a dark private training room. Peering around the edge of the door, Alex and Kara saw someone sprint into the room. Although they didn’t know her name, they both recognized her as a Jedi Knight they had seen around the temple maybe once or twice. She stopped in the middle of the room obviously exhausted from running. The thunderous sound of running, however, didn’t stop. The Knight turned as she ignited her purple lightsaber, deciding to fight instead of run.

Alex began to rise to help her fight off the yet unseen enemy, but she stopped when she saw a group of clones enter the room. _The clones will help us,_ she thought in relief. The flashing bang of blaster bolts destroyed that feeling. Kara quickly yanked Alex back down into the darkness before she was seen or did something reckless.

The Knight was prepared for the trooper’s attack. She redirected their shots back with her saber as she ran towards them. Clones are skilled warriors, but very few can beat a knight at close range. She cut down her enemies as she leapt and dodged their attacks.

When the squad of troopers were all down, the Knight stood panting in the midst of them. Feeling it was safe to come out, the two girls shuffled into the light. As they crossed the threshold Kara stumbled, alerting the Knight to their presence. She turned quickly, looking for another threat, but she visibly relaxed when she spotted the frightened girls.

The Knight started to call out to them, but was cut off when a blaster bolt hit her in the back. The girls had distracted her enough, for another group of clones to enter at the far end of the room. They continued to fire at the Knight, even though she was obviously already dead.

Alex pushed Kara behind her and backed quickly back into the room. She was glad that Kara had enough sense not to make any noise even though she herself struggled to muffle her own cry. They clung to each other, waiting for the discovery they thought was inevitable. Alex strained to hear what was happening in the larger room, preparing to defend Kara for as long as she had too.

“Report to Commander Bow that Alink Canasee has been executed. We will sweep the lower level corridors and then rendezvous with Lord Vader,” one clones said. The troopers left the room, never coming closer to where the girls were hiding.

Once the sounds of footsteps had completely faded away, Alex and Kara released one another. Alex carefully looked into the gym but was relieved to see no one.

“I-If the clones are… and it’s not just A-an-anakin… do you… do you think everyone else is d-dead?” Kara asked.

“No there has to be someone…” Alex started to say, but then she thought of something. Standing up quickly she said, “We need to go to the Archives. My master will be there. She’ll help us. She has to be okay. Maybe you should stay here. It would be safer. But I don’t want to leave you alone— “

“Alex, I’m going with you. We’ll find her,” Kara said firmly. “While you were away this last year I did some more exploring. Follow me. I know a way to get there without being seen.”

Alex followed the blonde along the edges of the gym and out into another hallway. They walked as quietly as possible and dashed into the shadows at the smallest of sounds. Kara hauled Alex unexpectedly into a room she had never been into. It was a generator room filled with gears and panels. Kara moved to the back of the room and pulled a metal slate off of the wall revealing another air duct. Alex followed behind Kara, completely trusting that she knew where she was going. As they crawled Alex became worried by the younger girl’s shallow breaths echoing in the tight space.

“When did you find this?” she asked trying to present a distraction.

“A c-couple of months after you l-left… I was… I got… I wanted to find a new place. S-s-so I did,” Kara said without looking back.

Not knowing how to respond and being unable to think of another topic, Alex decided to stay silent. She didn’t know if anything she said would help console Kara at all. _What do you say to a ten year-old who has seen people- because that what the Order was: her people- killed in front of her?_ she thought.

When they had spent so long crawling through the ducts that Alex felt like her knees were bleeding and her neck was broken, Kara finally stopped.

“This latch opens into the elevator shaft. I almost fell in when I was first exploring in here. If we climb up to the next level we will be right next to the entrance to the Archives,” Kara said. Her breathes were firm now that she had something else to focus on. Her eyes less glazed and more set.

Alex nodded and they pulled opened off the small door. Both girls looked out into the shaft only dimly lit by lights placed ever ten feet. The drop was frightening, but there was plenty of edges and outcropping to use to climb to the door above their heads.

Turning back to Kara, Alex took charge again. “Okay, follow where I go and— “

“Don’t look down?” Kara interrupted with a small smile.

“Something like that,” Alex said as she pulled herself over the edge.

She put her feet down on a ledge and helped Kara match her movements. They shuffled out along the inch thin walkway. Alex was thankful for all the times her master had made her do strength training. Bracing herself against the wall while helping Kara as much as she could, strained her muscles painfully. Halfway around the shaft they reached a ladder and climbed to the same level as the elevator door. Starting again they made their way carefully to their destination.

Once they both got to the exit, they started working at getting the door open. It was difficult to keep themselves from falling while pulling the doors apart. Alex tried her best to do most the work so that there was no chance that Kara could fall. They soon were able to create a crack big enough for them to crawl through.

“You go I’ll hold it open,” Alex said.

Complying, Kara pulled herself over the ledge- her legs flailing (and almost hitting Alex) as she got through the doors.

“Okay now you go,” Kara said as she took the brunt of the weight of the closing doors.

With a little less struggle Alex was able to get up. Kara let go of the doors and they slammed together. Both girls jumped at the loudness of the sound. They listening to hear the approach of someone to investigate, but no one came. After a minute of waiting, Alex gave up on being patient and entered the Archive room.

The damage they had witness throughout the halls of the temple extended into this room too. The lights had been turned off, but the electric blue of the archives themselves illuminated the space. Alex couldn’t hear anything over the sound of her own wheezing breaths, but she knew that her master was somewhere in there.

Sticking to the sides of the room, the girls tried their best to remain in the shadows. The first time they diverged from the wall and into the maze of archive shelves, Alex was too slow to stop Kara from seeing bodies. She stopped Kara from seeing too much of the wounds or faces, but Alex knew that it wasn’t enough. After that they stuck to the wall for a long while, but the bodies and dread kept piling up. By the time they arrived at the far back of the Archives, they still had not found Indel Surej amongst the bodies. Alex wanted to believe that was a good thing, but nothing felt good about the situation. She knew the odds of finding her master alive were dropping at every body they saw.

A sharp sound joined the girls strained breaths. “Sweep the Archives again and then report to the council room,” they heard the voice of a trooper say over a communicator. Both girls froze. The voice had been distant, but they knew it could get closer and there was probably more than one enemy.

 _I’m going to get Kara killed. I shouldn’t have dragged her into this. I should have gotten her out._ Alex’s thoughts burned in her head, but Kara shook her shoulder until the older girl was brought back into reality.

Focusing on the situation, Alex looked for a way out of this. She knew they needed to escape the room as fast as they could, but not knowing where their enemies were would make moving dangerous. However, staying still would be just as fatal. She struggled to think of some solution. She thought of what her master would have told her. “Stay calm, to use the force,” Indel’s voice filled her mind. This sparked a plan in Alex’s thoughts.

Pulling Kara close and putting her hands on her shoulders, Alex looked directly into her eyes. “I need you to focus, feel the force, and try to sense where the clones are. You are better than me so I need you to do this. I’ll protect you, you just close your eyes and meditate.”

The blonde nodded. Despite her trembling lower lip, Alex could tell the younger girl was ready.

Without a word they began. With her unignited lightsaber in one hand, and Kara’s shaking palm in the other, Alex started to move away from the wall into the labyrinth, pulling Kara along behind her. It was like a reverse game of follow the leader: as they wove through the walls of records, Kara would give almost silent directions and Alex would comply.

Together, they neared the central terminals. Alex had become completely reliant on Kara, knowing that if she ran from every sound they would never get out.

Setting her nerves on fire, Kara suddenly tugged Alex back behind a pillar. Alex waited quietly, searching for the danger, but nothing came. After several minutes she turned to Kara to see if it was safe, but Kara just smashed a finger to lips with her eyes still tightly closed. Alex looked back into the open and stifled a gasp. Standing not five feet from them were two troopers. Their white armor was stark and bright in the darkness. They slowly surveyed the area, but didn’t see the two girls cowering nearby. As quickly as they came, the clones passed by and left them behind.

After taking a few calming breaths Alex was ready to go again, but Kara didn’t move when she tried to start.

“Wait…w-what about your m-master? Aren’t we going to find h-her?” Kara whispered.

Alex’s heart dropped to her stomach. She wanted desperately to find her master, to give the responsibility of keeping them safe to someone older… better, but if she kept on searching she would be putting Kara in more danger. “Kara can you sense anyone else? Is there anyone else… alive besides the clones?”

Kara closed her eyes searched through the force for some hint of life that didn’t feel like an enemy. “I… I don’t… M-maybe she left… or I-I could be wrong. It’s harder to look f-far and I’m so tired… so that could explain— “

“It’s okay Kara, let’s just get out of here. We’re almost to the door,” Alex said holding back tears and any unrealistic hopes. She couldn’t think about anything, but getting Kara out of there.  Looking at the little blonde, Alex noticed that her skin was pale and her eyelids sagged. She would have to keep a closer eye on her, but she needed Kara to keep going until they were somewhere safe. Or at least safer.

Again they worked their way towards the exit. Thankfully they made to the last row of records without any more close calls, but they weren’t free yet. Standing guard at the door was a trooper.

“How are we going to get around them?” Kara asked.

“Let me think,” Alex said as she searched for some escape strategy.

“I t-think I have an i-idea. G-get ready to run,” Kara said after a few minutes. Alex couldn’t think of anything else and she trusted Kara, so she did as she was told.

With her hand outstretched, Kara focused on a large pile of rubble across the room. Using the force, she pulled at the base of the pile causing the whole thing to collapse in on itself. Alex watched as the trooper tensed at the sound. He turned and began walking slowly towards it. Once he was far enough, the two girls dashed out of the room.

Sensing something was wrong, Alex turned just in time to see a trooper raise his gun and fire. Her hands moved before her brain could tell them to, and she blocked the shot with her lightsaber.

“Run, Kara run!” Alex said as she continued to stop any blaster fire from getting past.

She turned to follow the younger girl while still blocking shots and caught up to her too easily. Kara really was exhausted. They wouldn’t be able to get away just by running Alex would need to fight. Looking over her shoulder, Alex saw three troopers chasing them. She pushed Kara forward and then turned around. She would fight them off here, and hopefully they would be distracted enough by her that Kara could get away.

Alex ran at her enemies, imagining how the clones would react to her attacks ahead of time. Just like her master taught her. Dodging their fire, Alex slide into their feet knocking one completely over her head. She swiped her green blade against his side, ignoring his pained scream. Rolling onto her feet, she slashed at the remaining two. They kept stepping back out of her reach and firing at her from a distance. _At least they aren’t shooting at Kara,_ was all Alex could think. The clones could move away only so much before they hit a wall. She was able to cut the blaster of one in half and kick his legs out from underneath him before he even realized his mistake. There was just one left. Alex leapt towards him, side stepped under his fist, and slashed her lightsaber across his chest. As she slipped away from his falling body, Alex felt like she was going to be sick. Thoughts of all the clones she had worked with, joked with, lived with, swept into her mind. _They are just clones,_ she tried to tell herself using her master’s words, but it didn’t ease the nausea.

A sudden scream pulled her eyes from the still form in front of her.

“Alex look out!”

She turned to see the second troopers she attacked, standing less than three feet away from her with a new blaster in his hands. Before she had time to react he was already pulling the trigger. She started to level her lightsaber, but she knew she was going to be too late.

The blast flew past her ear, and Alex turned in confusion to see it hit the wall instead of her body. Spinning back around, she saw the hilt of Kara’s blue lightsaber imbedded in the clone’s chest. The white clad trooper fell to his knees and Alex pulled the blade from his body before he completely collapsed.

A small but strong form crashed into her side. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. It’s okay,” Alex said as she hugged the younger girl. “We can’t stay here. More will be coming.”

She returned the lightsaber to Kara and then Alex started to run, but Kara was still staring at the clone she had killed.

“Kara come on. Just don’t think about it. You did nothing wrong. Please let’s go,” Alex called until Kara finally started to move.

They ran until they had put plenty of space between them and the Archives. Alex signaled for them to stop in a quiet corridor so they could catch their breath and make a new plan.

Through gasping breaths, she said, “We need to leave the temple. In all your time exploring did you find some way outside?”

Kara struggled to breath as her whole body shook, but she was able to stutter out a quiet, “N-no.”

Alex sighed and continued to try and think of a plan. All of the responsibility and planning was beginning to feel truly overwhelming.

“We could maybe try to steal a speeder. The garage isn’t very far from here,” Kara suggested.

“I bet they have that guarded. We would be dead before we even got to a speeder let alone fire up one.”

Kara tilted her head as she thought and then she said, “I might… I maybe have a way for us to get past any guards… without being seen.”

Alex looked at her with wide eyes, “What? How?”

“When Master Yoda was teaching us about different force abilities I decided to try some of them. I was able to create a force cloak. Not for long, but it still works.”

“Brilliant Kara! You’re amazing! Let’s get to the garage and then we’ll figure out our plan from there,” Alex said.

They moved as quickly as they could without making much noise. It didn’t take them long to reach the garage and find what they were up against. They pecked from around a corner and saw that Alex had been right. There were at least ten clones spread throughout the room amongst the different types of vehicles.

“If we can get to the speeder closest to the center of the room, then we can get out fast through the exit above. I can pilot it, but once we start flying they are going to see us. I’ll need you to cover us as best you can,” Alex said pointing a certain speeder and the hole built into the roof for speeders to come and go through.

“O-okay, we’ll have to move sl-slow and not make any noise, but I can g-get us there,” Kara said.

Alex nodded and waited for Kara to signal she was ready. The younger girl closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. After several minutes she again opened her eyes and made a ‘move forward’ signal with her hand. Alex started to follow her, but she was worried that Kara had not been able to cloak them. She could still see herself, and she didn’t feel any different. When a clone began to turn towards them Alex almost pulled Kara back out of sight, but Kara held up her hand to signal her to stop before she could do anything. The clone looked right through them and continued his surveillance of the area. Alex would have let loose a long sigh of relief if they weren’t trying to remain completely silent. Kara started walking again and Alex followed close behind. They slunk through the different speeders, staying as far as they could from the troopers. When they arrived at their target, Alex boosted Kara in and then jumped in after her. Once in the driver’s seat and ready to start the engine, Alex looked to see if Kara was ready. The youngling had her lightsaber drawn and ready to be ignited, and her jaw was set in a hard determined line. After taking one last deep breath, Alex fired up the speeder.

She heard the shouts of surprise and anger of the clone troopers around her, but Alex ignored them. She only needed to focus on getting them out of there as fast as she could. As the speeder began to rise, Kara rocked them back and forth as she blocked the incoming fire from the clones. Alex pushed for the speeder to move faster and suddenly they rose like a missile out into the night sky.

“Hold on,” Alex yelled to Kara as they started to fly away from the temple.

The clones weren’t going to let them get away without a chase. Alex looked behind her and saw them following them in their own hijacked vehicles. She steered their speeder into the city, hoping that the traffic would hide them. They swerved through the coming and going vehicles, but the clones were still on their tail. Kara did her best to stop any of their blasts from getting through, but she couldn’t stop them from hitting their speeder. Smoke leaked from the back end and it started to shake as the engine struggled to keep them in the air.

Spotting a giant intersection of air travel ahead, Alex sped towards it. The organized chaos of the automatic speeders kept them from colliding, but that wouldn’t stop their manual speeder from crashing into them. They slid against one speeder only to bounce against of a large transport.

“Use the force, feel the speeders around us!” Kara screamed. Alex imagined it was hard enough defending them in a moving vehicle let alone one that kept crashing into things. Kara wasn’t strapped in to her seat like Alex was either so she had only just barely stopped herself from being thrown out into the air at the last collision.

Alex took a few breaths and widened her awareness of their surroundings. Suddenly she knew when to turn and drop to avoid hitting other speeders. Fortunately, the clones were not faring as well. They were stuck in the tangled knot of air vehicles while Alex and Kara got farther and farther away.

But their speeder was not in good shape. Realizing the extent of the damage Alex started to fly downwards, but the speeder’s engine gave out before they could land. They were falling deeper and deeper into Coruscant’s rotten underbelly. Alex pulled Kara down and held as tight as she could before they crashed. Their speeder glanced off of one of the higher levels as they continued to fall, slowing their descent at least a little.

The final impact left Alex reeling and fighting off unconsciousness. As she opened her eyes, it took her several moments to even remember what had happened. Looking around she tried to take in her surrounding, and then she realized something was missing. Kara wasn’t in her arms. Kara wasn’t in the speeder.

Alex pulled off her straps and jumped out of the wrecked speeder. When her feet hit the ground she immediately fell on her face as a bout of dizziness filled her vision. Her head throbbed and her side felt like someone had punched her repeatedly. Pushing herself up out of the grime, Alex ignored her body and began searching.

It didn’t take her long to spot the mess of blonde hair in the wreckage. Rushing over to her, Alex flipped Kara over from her stomach onto her back. Her eyes were closed and blood was welling from her hairline, but at least she was breathing. With her vision impeded by tears, Alex searched for any other wounds, but she couldn’t see any external damage except scraps and blossoming bruises. She cradled her head and gently wiped away the blood staining the gold hair and tan skin with her sleeve.

“Kara I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should have held on tighter. Please wake up. I’m sorry. Please— “

Her rambling was interrupted by a soft groan. Kara’s eyelids fluttered for a moment and then finally opened completely. Her eyes were glazed and Alex could see fear dance in them.

“It’s alright, we got out. We’re okay. I need you to tell me where you are hurt,” Alex cooed to the girl in her arms.

It took a minute for Kara to understand what Alex was saying as she slowly came to her senses. “M-my head… and my a-arm.”

Alex looked down and saw how Kara held her right arm in tight to her torso. Tearing at her robes, Alex made a makeshift sling for Kara’s arm and helped her pull it over her head.

“We need to get away from here, go somewhere hidden. Do you think you can walk?” Alex asked.

Kara nodded and started to sit up. Alex helped her get to her feet and then pulled Kara’s good arm over her shoulder so she could use the older girl for support.

Alex had no idea where they were or where they would go, but she figured that anywhere would be better than out in open in the wreckage of their speeder. The buildings surrounding them were dirty and unadorned. The street they were on wasn’t empty- she spotted several figures in the shadows- but no one seemed to care about them. Alex hoped they would forget they ever saw the two out of place girls. She looked up and only saw pipes and wires and higher levels of the city- the sky was completely hidden. The air was polluted with smoke and sickly fog, making both girls cough as they hobbled their way down the street.

Alex was beat and holding up Kara drained her more. Kara was in even worse shape. She could barely lift her feet off the ground and as they walked her head flopped listlessly from side to side. But Alex wouldn’t stop until she felt they were far enough away from the speeder. When the clones came looking for them they would look for the wreckage first and she didn’t want to be anywhere near it.

She didn’t start searching for a place to rest until her muscles were screaming for rest. They found a couple alleyways, but they were already inhabited by unfriendly vagabonds. Alex sighted a decrepit building with its door cracked open and hoped it was empty. After leaning Kara against the wall, Alex was able to get the door open. The room was filled with barrels and broken machinery, but thankfully no people. Alex pulled Kara into the building and brought her to the back of the room. She cleared away a spot on the ground with her foot and sat Kara down with her back leaning against the wall. Once she knew Kara was as comfortable as she could be in this situation, she sat down next to her. Kara’s head fell onto her shoulder and Alex let her own head rest against Kara’s.

“Thanks… for helping… me,” Kara wheezed out.

“It was my fault you were hurt in the first place,” Alex answered as she squeezed her hands together in her lap.

Kara reached out with her good hand and caught one of the older girl’s. “Not… your fault.”

Alex relented even though she didn’t agree- knowing that neither girl had the energy to argue right now even. “You can go to sleep now. I’ll keep watch.”

Kara sighed a quiet, “Okay,” as she pressed even closer to the brunette.

Alex rubbed circles into Kara’s hand with her thumb until her breathing became more even and slow. She was thankful that the young girl was too tired to dream because she couldn’t image what horrors her subconscious would dredge up. The thoughts of their resent experiences played unendingly in Alex’s head, keeping her awake despite her exhaustion. She was glad they at least helped her keep her vigilant watch on the door. For hours she stayed awake until fatigue finally won out and Alex fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought of this chapter. I was thinking of doing one more chapter in this time period, but then jumping ahead a couple of years for the next chapter. Any thoughts on that? Thanks for reading!


	3. Depths of Coruscant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay but life and writers block are a real struggle. I'm drawing from a lot of different star wars sources so if you are a super fan you might recognize somethings. Thanks so much to all the comments and kudos they are great motivators. The next chapter will jump in time so get ready for angsty young adult/teenager Alex and Kara

Kara always woke up as the rising sun lit her bedroom. She preferred the sun alarm to the acolytes’ wake up calls. The peaceful tug to the surface of consciousness always served to make the night’s rest feel fuller and the day more welcoming. So as Kara awoke, she knew immediately something was different, wrong. She didn’t recognize any light seeping through her eyelids. What’s more, someone was moving her. With her eyes still closed, Kara felt herself being moved from a sitting position to laying on her back. Even though person seemed to be moving her as gently as they could, Kara’s body still protested and ached at the change in position. A groan rolled off of her tongue, and the person froze.

“Kara? Are you awake?” Alex asked. Although she had spoken at a normal volume, the noise smashed itself against Kara’s ears painfully and made her head throb.

“Too… loud…” Kara said through clenched teeth.

“Sorry,” Alex whispered, “Is this better?”

Kara nodded, sparking the soreness in her neck and aggravating her headache further.

“I’m going to check your arm,” Alex said quietly.

Kara felt gritty fingers pull the sleeve of her robe up. The fabric caught on her elbow as it bunched up and sent a jolt of pain through the limb, but Kara bit her lip and refused to let Alex see the signs of any pain. She heard Alex hum with concern as she looked at the arm. Kara tugged her eyes open for the first time to see what Alex was looking at. At first her vision swirled, but it slowly calmed down. Although everything was still a little blurry she could see the black and purple bruises on her arm.

“I’m pretty sure its broken. I don’t know if there is anything I can do to fix it. How does your head feel?”

“…n-not the best,” Kara admitted.

Alex shifted so that she was leaning over the blondes face. “I’m going to use my lightsaber as a light to see if your pupils dilate.”

She pulled her lightsaber from off her belt and ignited it. The green blade illuminated the dark room like a beacon. Before Alex could even bring it close enough to see any changes in Kara’s eyes the younger girl cringed and slammed her eyelids closed.

“Turn it off… it h-hurts,” Kara whined.

The older girl quickly complied and then waited for Kara to recover before she spoke again. “Your head hurts and you are sensitive to light and sound, so I’m guessing you probably have a concussion. Is there anything else that hurts?”

Kara focused on her body, trying to feel anything amiss or damaged. “Nothing… just bruises and soreness,” she said and then look up at her friend. “What about you? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine Kara. You’re the one we need to focus on not me,” Alex said not meeting her eyes.

“Aleeexxx. Don’t do that. We both c-crashed not just me.” Kara reached out with her good hand despite her sore muscles and pulled Alex’s face so she was looking at her. “Stop feeling guilty.”

Alex couldn’t hold back the tears that started to fall from her eyes. “I should have held on tighter to you. I shouldn’t have let go of you.”

“No you saved me. If you hadn’t of grabbed me… I don’t know if I would have survived at all,” Kara said as she clumsily wiped at the older girl’s wet cheeks. “P-promise me you won’t blame yourself.”

The two girls stared at each other in a battle of will. No matter how determined Alex was to make herself responsible for Kara’s injuries, she could never overcome the power of the younger girl’s piercing blue eyes and pouting lips. Alex broke from the gaze first and nodded in agreement. Kara took her hand off of her cheek and used it to pull the bigger girl down into a slight embrace. Alex gently scoped Kara up and hugged her back. Both girls relished the calm that filled them. They had gone through a lot in the last few hours and still had vast struggles to face ahead of them, but at least they knew they had each other. As the hug lingered on tiredness flooded Kara. Her friend’s warm arms only added to the draw of unconsciousness. Alex must have noticed her start to sag because she carefully laid her back down again. Kara suddenly tensed at the thought of Alex leaving her. She didn’t want the older girl to do anything reckless without her there to talk her down, but she also didn’t like the idea of being left alone here. She didn’t ever want to be parted from Alex again. Her fears were sated some when she felt fingers intertwine with hers. The soft rubbing motion of Alex’s thumb over her knuckles lulled her to sleep.

 

“Kara, I need you to get up. We’ve been here too long. We need to move,” Alex said as she gently nudged Kara until she woke.

When she opened her eyes her head started throbbing again, but she thought that maybe it was a little less painful than it had been before. Alex pulled her up so that she was sitting and Kara groaned; her whole body felt tight and sore and bruised. Putting Kara’s good arm over her shoulder, Alex lifted her up onto her feet. The pained noises continued to fall from Kara’s mouth and her vision swam. If Alex hadn’t been holding her up she definitely would have fallen over.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. We’ll go slow, but we really have got to move before someone finds us,” Alex apologized through controlled breaths. She wasn’t as hurt as Kara, but the crash had left her body sore as well.

“Its… o-kay. I’ll b-be… fine,” Kara grunted. Now that she was standing the blurriness in her eyes started to clear some and she felt like she could walk. She pulled away from Alex to test herself, and was excited to find that, although not as comfortable as usual, she could walk without toppling over. Looking beamed a bright smile towards Alex. “Let’s go.”

The two girls left their makeshift haven hand in hand. From the looks of the elevated streets and the assortment of people, Kara guess that they were in the middle levels of Coruscant.  Because of the hundreds of levels of city above them, they couldn’t tell if it was day or night. Kara figured it didn’t really matter down here, it was always night in the depths of Coruscant. The fact that there were more beings bustling around at least told them it was working hours. _Thankfully there’s not much light to hurt my eyes_ , Kara thought even though the orange lanterns spread along the street still made her cringe.

Kara looked to Alex for direction. She didn’t know where they were going to go or what they were going to do, only that she could sense that they weren’t safe were they were now. Alex noticed the other girl’s trepidation and tried to reassure her.

“We’ve got to get to one of the lifts. If we get to the lower levels we will be able to hide where no one can find us. We’ll figure everything out from there,” Alex said firmly but from the shakiness of her hands Kara could tell that the older girl was just as afraid as she was.

With Alex guiding Kara along gently the girls slunk down the road, looking for a lift station. Their progress wasn’t very fast; Kara was still a little unsteady. They passed variety of beings, ranging in color, shape size, and scruffiness. Most were filthy and looked like they had spent their whole life living on the streets (Kara imagined they fit right into that category), but a few swaggered confidently as they held badly concealed weapons in their somewhat clean clothes. The girls did their best to avoid those beings especially. They avoided everyone actually, but Kara couldn’t help but feel like they were being watched by everyone. She could feel people’s eyes drawn to their robes and injuries. She only hoped that they had enough of their own problems to keep them away from her and Alex.

Squeezing Alex’s hand, Kara leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I t-think we need to change out of our r-robes. People are looking at us f-funny.”

“I know, but I don’t have any credits. We’ll just have to keep an eye out,” Alex responded.

So Kara did, but as they walked she didn’t see anything that could even be used as a handkerchief let alone clothes. But as they rounded the corner, she did spot the lift station. Despite her pounding head, she picked up the pace and soon was dragging Alex behind her. As they got closer, the older girl suddenly pulled Kara into the shadows of a nearby building.

“What are— “Kara started to ask but Alex quickly interrupted her.

“Look,” she said pointing to screens hung near the elevators.

In large letters of varying languages were the words, “WANTED ALL MEMBERS OF THE JEDI ORDER.” Below an award was listed for ten thousand credits. The screens flickered and changed to show the faces of specific Jedi. Kara gasped when she saw Alex and her faces appear in the cycle. _So Anakin and the clones weren’t acting alone,_ Kara thought. Looking around Kara noticed people watching them even more. _They know. They’re going to come after us._

“This is bad. Really, really bad… Don’t look at anyone just walk straight to the lifts,” Alex directed frantically.

Looking down, they shuffled forward. They were about ten yards away from the elevators when strong hands grabbed both of their arms and pulled them back. Two meathead looking aliens- of a species Kara couldn’t identify-yanked the two girls apart and restrained them. They both tried to fight out of the tight grips on their shoulders. The squirming jostled Kara’s arm and she cried out in pain. With her eyes flashing with anger, Alex was able to get away from her captor, but before she was able to get to Kara a sharp voice stopped her.

“Don’t take another step or I’ll shoot your friend,” a man said pointing his blaster at Kara who stood frozen looking down the barrel of the gun. He was a Hamadryas, a humanoid alien with sickly green skin and strangely shaped face. He didn’t look very strong, but he oozed arrogance and cunning. The other thug grabbed Alex again and squeezed her painfully even though she wasn’t fighting anymore. “You two are going to come with us and see our boss. I bet he’ll be thrilled to have two Jedi younglings in his grasp.”

“I’m a Padawan--,” Kara heard Alex mumble under her breath but she was interrupted by the giant beings pulling her arms back binding them together with medal cuffs. The other thug started to pull at Kara’s arms making her wince.

“Don’t! Her arm is broken. We’ll corporate,” Alex threw herself against the tall alien, pushing him away from the injured girl. He stopped and looked to the Hamadryas who just shrugged. Both Alex and Kara released sighs of relief that were cut short by bags being thrown over their heads.

Their captors pushed them onto what felt like come sort of speeder or transport. The thugs were rough and Kara had to bite her tongue to stop from crying out as they hit her bad arm. She didn’t want to give Alex more to worry about. The vehicle started and Kara could feel the air flow by as it ruffled her robes.

“My boss’s name is Talvee Chawin. I bet you have never heard that name up in your pretty temple, but maybe the name the Thorn has crossed your path,” Kara heard the Hamadryas shout over the wind. She didn’t recognize the names, but she felt Alex stiffen next to her. He must have noticed too because he chuckled and added, “Now you know just who you’re messing with here.”

Kara still was left in the dark, but she knew that whoever the Thorn was he wasn’t good. _Boy are we in trouble_.

When they stopped, Kara could feel the pressure difference from descending to a much lower level. Both girls were shoved off of the vehicle just as rough as before.

“Welcome to Level 1313,” someone sneered into her ear.

Tough hands pushed her along and Kara was completely lost and disoriented. Her only anchor was that she could sense Alex nearby, although the fear rolling off of her did little to reassure Kara. The air around them suddenly got staler and Kara recognized that they had gone inside a building. The further in they went the more she was bombarded by smells that made her want to puke and a cacophony of noise that made her head pound. After moving through what felt like a labyrinth of doors, steps, and turns, their captors pulled them to a stop and pushed them down onto their knees. The bags were pulled off of their heads and the sudden brightness of their surroundings stung Kara’s eyes and aggravated her headache.

“Chawin, we found them on Level 2,352. There’s a bounty on their heads for 10,000 credits,” the Hamadryas said.

Through blurry eyes, Kara took in the environment. They were in the middle of a spacious room with artificial lights hung from the vaulted ceiling, and a mass of people were standing and sitting along the walls. Her sight began to focus and she clearly saw the man lounging before her in a large chair as the center of authority to the gang of criminals. She recognized him as a Iktotchi like Master Saesee Tiin from the High Council was… had been. His skin was deep maroon and one of the horns that came down along the side of his head was broken, leaving only a jagged stub while the other came down under his chin and pointed outwards. He observed them for a second and when he recognized who- or what- was in front of him, he sat up straight in his chair. Kara could practically see the schemes flowing through his eyes.

“Are you younglings or Padawans?” he asked finally with a scratchy voice.

Kara glanced at Alex who was shaking her head. They were going to stay silent.

After waiting a minute, Chawin nodded towards one of the thugs behind them and pointed at Kara. Her captor reached forward and shook her bad arm. She could feel the broken bones move and a scream ripped from her lungs. The crowd around them laughed and catcalled, adding to Kara’s agony.

“Stop, stop! I’m a Padawan, she’s a youngling. Stop!” Alex shouted over the noise. She shuffled closer to the younger girl, but she could do little to comfort her with her arms restrained.

Chawin raised his hands and the noise died down to quiet whispers. “Glad we got that settled. I take it you have been trained in combat and strategy?” he asked, retuning back to his lounging position.

Alex just nodded, for both her and Kara since the blonde still was shuddering in pain and blinking back tears.

“I’m going to give you two options. I can turn you into the Imperial Senate. I’ll collect the reward and you’ll be executed. Or you can come and work for me. You’ll be my own personal Jedi and help me with my business. I’ll make sure that you are taught how to survive without your Order and in return you will work for me until my investments with you have been paid off.  You will be my property until you pay off your debt to me and then, if you get that far, you can go off on your own and do whatever your hearts’ desire,” he stopped a moment to let his words sink in. “Make your decision. I don’t care which you choose, either way I benefit.”

Kara and Alex looked at one another already knowing what they were going to choose. Kara saw the determination in Alex’s eyes, she was going to work to get them out of this mess as hard as she could and Kara wasn’t going to let her do it alone.

“We’ll work for you,” Alex stated simply without turning towards their new master.

“That’s what I thought. You’ll start tomorrow,” he said grating cackle. Looking now at the Hamadryas and his goons he ordered, “Lock them up for now. Give them something to eat and some new clothes. And be sure to take their weapons.”

Kara and Alex were pulled to their feet and began to be ushered out of the room. Before they had exited Chawin snidely added, “If you try to escape or screw up, I will not hesitate to turn you in. Just keep that in mind.”

 _I don’t know how I would ever be able to forget it,_ Kara thought.

They were directed back through the labyrinth. Without the bag over her head Kara had a much better sense of where they were. The hallways they moved through were dirty and filled with people that were even dirtier. As far as she could tell they were in what could have been an abandoned factory building. She knew that the lowest levels of Coruscant were lawless and Chawin’s empire probably thrived down here. Her only consolation was at least they were far away from any clone troopers.

Without warning, Kara was tossed into a room. After her hands were uncuffed, Alex followed. 

“Give us your weapons,” the Hamadryas ordered.

Alex was the first to hand lightsaber over even though her clenched teeth and raging eyes revealed her reluctance. Kara on the other hand, held her blade in her hands for a moment longer, cherishing- for what could be the last time- the feeling of strength and pride her new lightsaber gave her. She eventually gave it to the impatient Hamadryas. He pocketed the blades and slammed the door leaving them alone.

Alex rushed over to Kara. “Are you alright? I’m sorry they hurt you.”

“It’s okay I’m fine. It’s not your fault,” Kara reassured her.

They sat in silence not knowing what to say. There was lot to discuss, but at the moment neither of them felt much like talking. The room they now inhabited was small and dimly lit. Two cots were the only features. It reminded Kara of their hiding spot back in the temple, but much less comforting. Not that thoughts of the Temple were very comforting now either.

Kara got up and threw herself onto the cot. The exhaustion that had been elicited by the day’s events was finally catching up with her. Alex followed suit. Both girls lay swimming in their thought, neither one actually getting any rest. The raucous noises of the criminals around them pulsated through the walls, but all they could hear was each other’s breathing. 

The door opened and someone they hadn’t seen before tossed a pile of clothes onto the floor. Then another person entered, carrying a bucket in three of his hands and two cups in the fourth.

“One bucket for drinking, one for eating, and the other for after,” he said with a laugh dropping the buckets and cups, letting some of their contents slosh out.

Both beings exited and left them alone again. Alex got up and started to examine their new clothes while Kara went straight to the food. After moving the empty bucket to the other side of the room, Kara went about trying their dinner. One bucket contained a foggy liquid that she discovered was water after a cautious sip. The second, held a dark brownish substance that was gooey and thick. It tasted like rubber and synthetic meat, but Kara was so hungry she ate it anyway. Alex soon joined her in gagging down some dinner. Once they felt they had at least somewhat satisfied their appetites, they turned their focus to the clothes.

Alex had gone through and organized the different pieces and although she waited for Kara to pick first, the younger girl knew which ones Alex wanted. So of course, Kara opted to pick the other option. They began peeling off the soiled and ripped robes. Kara tried her best to do it by herself, but after a series of quiet winces Alex came over to assist her. Slowly, she helped her pull her arm through the sleeve and get the robe over her head. Her bare arms revealed a myriad of dark bruises. Alex guided the new bluish gray shirt onto the Kara’s thin frame. The material was tough and scratched at her skin. Kara signaled that she would be able to handle the pants by herself. Soon both girls were changed. Alex’s clothes were darker looser than Kara’s. They both vaguely looked like inmates in a prison, but Kara thought that was fitting since they practically were prisoners.

Almost religiously, the girls folded their Jedi robes and placed them in a discreet corner of the room. They wouldn’t let anyone take them away. They were ripped and ruined, but they were one of the very few things they had left of their old life.

They then laid down on their respective cots and tried again to get some sleep. After a while Kara heard Alex’s breathing slow and deepen. She was glad that the older girl was getting some rest after spending so much time taking care of her. However, now that only she was awake loneliness started to take hold.

When the Separatist’s attacked her childhood home, her parents had hidden her away in a closet. She remembered seeing them fall to the ground, bleeding out from blaster wounds. She remembers curling up in that closet for what could have been days, too afraid to come out, until a Jedi Knight found her. She remembered the Knight coaxing her out and taking her to a refugee camp. Things changed even more when the Knight sensed something different about Kara. She was tested and they discovered that her Midichlorians count was very high. They took her from her home planet, and she began her training in the Temple. Although it was hard and Kara often felt like an outcast, she let the Order take the place of the family that had been taken from her. But now that second family had been stolen as well. Besides Alex, there was no one else in the whole galaxy that cared what about her.

Kara didn’t recognize that tears had begun to flow from her eyes, but once the shuddering sobs started she stuffed her fist into her mouth, trying to remain silent. It must have not worked because she almost immediately felt warm arms wrap around her. Alex slipped onto the small cot and pulled Kara tightly against her. The younger girl tried and failed to compose herself. But she looked up at her friend she saw tears falling her eyes as well. They sobbed into each other’s arms, releasing their fear and grief. All they needed was the other’s presence, so they remained silent. Kara let Alex’s steadily beating heartbeat, lull her into a restless sleep.

 

They were abruptly woken up as their cot flipped over and they landed painfully in a pile on the hard ground. The Hamadryas looked down at them with a grimace.

“Get up. You’re going to follow me and I’m going to trust that you two aren’t idiots and you aren’t going to try anything stupid like escape or start a fight,” he ordered and then entered the hallway.

They did as directed and followed him through the twisting corridors. Criminals watched them as they passed, but besides some pointing and snickering the girls were left alone. He led them into what appeared to be a makeshift infirmary. There were several empty beds and a medical droid taking stock of the contents in a cabinet in the corner. The Hamadryas coughed to get the droids attention and it quickly turned and waited for instruction.

“M4-27, Chawin wants you to fix them up. He can’t have his pets broken already,” the Hamadryas said.

Jumping into action the droid moved each girl to a bed and began treating Alex first. It scanned her up and down looking for any damage. Once its assessment was done, it simply stated that she possessed no major injuries and moved on to Kara. It spent more time scanning Kara, but soon it was dashing off to the cabinets. It came back with some sort of device that Kara didn’t recognize.

“I am going to reset the bones in your arm and then attach this cuff which will stabilize your arm and accelerate healing,” it said. “Please lay the broken appendage on the table and brace yourself for some pain.”

Kara did as she was told and pressed her arm against the cold metal table next to her bed. Alex, who had moved next to her, gripped on to her good hand in support. The droid began moving the bones in her arm, and Kara had to clench her jaw tight to keep from screaming. She felt bad for how hard she squeezed Alex’s fingers, but she couldn’t stop the reaction. Once the droid was satisfied, it slipped the cuff onto Kara’s arm. The device was fabric-like at first, but once it was in place the droid pressed a button on it, and it hardened into a stiff cast that applied a comfortable amount of support to her arm.

“All major injures have been treated,” the droid said to the Hamadryas.

“Wait don’t you have some sort of pain medication she can take? Her arm is broken and she bruised all over,” Alex asked angrily

The Hamadryas just laughed, “We aren’t in your fancy Temple anymore. Just be glad she got the cuff. Now follow me.”

Alex growled quietly and helped Kara up before trailing after him. They didn’t walk far before he brought them to what was basically a bar. Criminals of all shapes and sizes sat around at tables and counters drinking and talking. It wasn’t too loud, but Kara assumed that was only because it was early in the day and once night came along it would be much wilder. The Hamadryas sat down at a table and pointed to the seats across from him. He then called one of the waitresses over and ordered some food.

“You’re going out on your first job today and I won’t have you passing out from starvation along the way,” he grumbled looking over at them now. “My name is Verku. Chawin has made me your babysitter so we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other. What are your names?”

They both replied and he nodded committing them to memory. The waitress soon returned with the girls’ meals which was a hearty stew and a bread roll. Immediately they began gorging themselves. Verku spoke as they ate.

“Until Chawin trusts you with a more important task you are going to be working down on Level 1. The pressure and poor air make perfect conditions for the Glenot crystal to grow. It can be made into a narcotic and sold on the black market for high prices. Most people don’t dare venture to Level 1, not with the poison and wild animals, but you two are going to be harvesters for us. I’m going to drop you off as soon as we are done here, and you will work until I come to get you. I’ll give you a communicator so you know where and when to come looking for me.”

Kara tried to eat slower so that they could draw out their time spent in a somewhat safe environment, but her stomach wouldn’t allow it. She had licked her bowl clean within a couple minutes and then downed the bread. She looked up sadly from her empty dishes and watched Alex finish the dregs of her meal as well.

Verku stood up and waited for the girls to stand before he exited the bar with them on his tail. He brought them to a garage and they loaded onto a small transport speeder. Alex and Kara sat together behind Verku and watched the decrepit city fly by. Neither of them had spent time in the low levels of Coruscant, so they both were entirely lost. Even if they did know where they were there was nowhere for them to go anyway. Verku quickly drove them downwards through ducts and driveways until they were deep in shadow and smog.

When they finally reached the bottom, Verku parked the vehicle and they all jumped off. He gave them both a breather to filter out the toxins in the air. From a pocket in his tunic, he pulled out a communicator which he handed over to Alex and a small hologram chip. He turned it on and it showed an image of a sharp crystal growing out of a wall.

“This is the Glenot crystal. The more you find the better your dinner will be,” he said as he reached into the speeder and pulled out two bags. He gave them to the girls and they found that inside were a couple of tools to harvest the rocks and portable lights. He then jumped back into the speeder. “Try not to die,” he added before flying away.

They stood there quietly in the darkness for a while. Both were struck by the difference between what their life had been a few days ago and their present situation. It felt like they were dreaming, and yet the heavy realness pressed down on them like the thousands of layers of city above their heads.

Kara finally turned to her friend and said, “Well let’s get started.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think so far or if you have any ideas or come and visit me on tumblr, my user name is ecrooked24. Thanks!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for actually reading all the way to the end! If you have any suggestions or critiques let me know


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